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Vancouver architect James Cheng considered both the little and the big elements in designing Honolulu’s 36-storey luxury tower, the Waiea, overlooking Ala Moana Beach Park. That meant everything from where to park a surfboard to the interpretation of the folklore of Hawaii’s beginnings in the design of the stunning building.

When faced with a decision in uncharted territory, implementing the “locals know best” strategy is typically the way to go. It’s worked for me a thousand times. And, last week at the West Bragg Creek Trailhead, while seeking an intermediate cross-country mountain bike ride that wouldn’t kill me, it worked again.

Tax advice, perhaps. PowerPoint skills. These are the kind of things you might ask of your typical economic development manager. But surfing lessons? These days, Tyson Touchie’s official job as economic development manager has him helping develop the lands of his Ucluelet First Nation on the wet and picturesque west coast of Vancouver Island.

The sun was just rising when we saw her — a lone woman in the distance, paddling her surfboard out to sea in the pink, painterly light of morning. My husband and I were staying at Tofino, B.C.’s award-winning Wickaninnish Inn — perched beside the stretched-out sands of Chesterman Beach — when one day we woke to a sunrise so exquisite we had no choice but to bound out of bed and race down to the water’s edge.

“We called it ‘aggressive walking’ and it essentially involved my friends and I jumping and climbing on everything we could,” says Robert Hill, the facilities manager of Calgary’s Breathe Parkour, of his creative childhood adventures in Hamilton, Ont. “It wasn’t until the fall of 2009 that I realized what we were doing actually had a name and I was formally introduced to the sport of parkour.”

In June of 2001, legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk brought his summer skatepark tour to Shaw Millennium Park for a display of skating skill in front of thousands of excited Calgarians.
For many it was confirmation that Shaw Millennium Park was one of the premier parks in the world, and a worthy addition to Calgary’s then-emerging inner-city lifestyle.

City officials unveiled Wednesday the location of eight new skateboard parks, including three sites now slated to be built in 2014. Chinook Park/Kelvin Grove/Eagle Ridge will get a ‘skate spot’ while Huntington Hills and Southwood will each see a larger ‘neighbourhood’ skate park.

On March 8, 2004, Josh Dueck’s life changed forever. While skiing with a few friends in Vernon, Dueck, 32, decided to attempt a flip. As an accomplished freeskier and ski coach, he’d done many inverted tricks before. However, this time something went terribly wrong.

Jacques Cousteau once called the waters off Loreto, on the east side of Mexico’s Baja peninsula, “the world’s aquarium.” Protected as a national marine park, this part of the Sea of Cortez provides excellent scuba and snorkelling opportunities while five islands are available for exploring and camping.

Friends and colleagues stunned by the death of Lethbridge city councillor Wade Galloway in a Waterton Park avalanche spoke through their tears Monday of his passion and devotion to public service. “Everybody is just shattered,” Mayor Chris Spearman told the Herald. “This is a tragedy for the Galloway family and our city.”

Kyle Doerksen was known as a science whiz kid when he grew up in Calgary. His start in innovation and entrepreneurship began at an early age by regularly competing - and winning - in science fairs as his creative mind came up with projects ranging from fractal image compression to finding landmines with ground penetrating radar.

Wild pigs scurry out of our way as we rip roar through the jungle, before resting the ATV near a slow, gurgling river. I know we’re not being followed, but I still look hesitantly over my shoulder, a bit sheepish over what I’m about to do. I’m hot and sweaty, and have just spotted a lone vine dangling from a mango tree beside the river. I take a running leap and swing on the vine Indiana Jones style. Swaying over the murky river feels positively decadent after careening over miles of rugged terrain, and the fact that I’m in the exact spot where Harrison Ford shot Raiders of the Lost Ark makes the moment even more delicious. I’m with my family at Kipu Ranch, a stunning 3,000-acre parcel of land on Kaua’i. We’ve come to this laid-back island laced with lush rainforests and cascading falls for the same reason as most folks. Hawaii hits all the right buttons with its tropical breezes and Shangri-La-like landscape, yet you’re still in the good, old U.S. of A. Translation: you reap all the benefits of an exotic local without the hassles. You can be assured communication won’t be a problem, hygiene standards will be up to snuff and there’ll be great weather.

Skateboarding, hanging with friends, swearing in public: These are the kinds of things that can divide generations, or so suggests a new U.K. study that examined reactions to various behaviours between age cohorts.

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